1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to synchronized playback of multimedia. More specifically, the present invention relates to synchronized playback of multimedia according to a time on a network.
2. Background of the Invention
There are various settings where people want to engage in synchronized movement to music. However, in many instances, it is beneficial for the music to only be heard by the participants. These settings include social dancing at a dance party or nightclub, square dancing, marching drills, cheerleading, ice skating, aerobic exercise, etc. Many of the settings require dancing in pairs while others require synchronized moves by large groups. These settings all require several people hearing the same music or sounds at the same time.
The problem is getting the music to all of the individuals who are participating in a synchronized manner. Getting the music to arrive to each of the people at the same time can be either technically difficult, expensive, or have undesirable side effects, such as annoying the neighbors. For example, aerobics classes at the gym often require each of the class members to listen to a music mix as well as commands. This is often accomplished by playing the music through a stereo system at the gym. However, frequently there are not any kind of barriers between these aerobics classes and the rest of the gym. The music playing may interrupt or annoy other people in other parts of the gym.
There are many technical problems with getting synchronized music to a group of people. These problems include getting the music to each individual, getting the music to each individual cheaply, getting the music there without bothering people who don't want to be innocent bystanders, synchronizing the music, etc. Many attempts at this have been made, but few, if any, have succeeded.
One attempt at a solution for sending synchronized music to a group has been to blast out amplified music. The drawbacks of this method are that it is relatively expensive and it is very obtrusive to other people. If a large area outdoors needs to be covered, a high powered speaker system needs to be utilized. This system is costly and is heard by everyone, not just the group wishing to listen.
Another solution was tried during the original disco era. The solution was to give everyone a set of headphones and wire the headphones back to a distribution facility. Many discotheque parties were wired this way with everyone dancing wearing a headphone. Obviously there are problems with the management of the wires as well as distances from the distribution facility. Additionally, the equipment is relatively expensive because the system must distribute one copy of the signal to each person on the floor, requiring high power and multiple outputs.
A further attempted solution was tried once personal music players became ubiquitous with the original WALKMAN. Everyone was given a tape and put on their headphones. At the count of three everyone pressed the start button. This solution was relatively cheap, with a copy of the tape for each person as everyone already owned their WALKMAN and headphones. The problem is the synchronization. Saying “one two three go” does not give a good synchronization, particularly when trying to get razor sharp coordination of everyone's movements. This solution has been attempted further with MP3 players. MP3 players are virtually guaranteed to play the music at exactly the same speed, whereas tape players may wander off from one another. The problem that remains is getting everyone started at the same time. With a program or arrangement with multiple songs, this synchronization, by pressing start, must occur at the same time, every time.
Finally, synchronization can be accomplished through radio. The big objection to radio is just that it is expensive. Everyone must have a specialized receiver and there must be specialized short range transmitting equipment. It costs a lot of money, but there are businesses that will bring out a quantity of receivers and host a dance party that way. Digital stream broadcasts, such as podcasts, are also very popular today. Multiple listeners may tune in to this broadcast to receive the same multimedia sample. However, such broadcasts lack the synchronized start time necessary for any synchronized movement by a group.
What is needed is a way to distribute precisely synchronized music to a group of people that does not disturb people outside of the group. The distribution needs to be simple and relatively inexpensive.